United States Supreme Court Cases & Opinions

U.S. Supreme Court

Boyle v. Landry, 401 U.S. 77 (1971)

Boyle v. Landry

No. 4

Argued March 24, 1969

Reargued April 29 and November 16, 1970

Decided February 23, 1971

401 U.S. 77

Syllabus

Appellees brought this action for injunctive and declaratory relief against enforcement of various Illinois statutes under some of which certain appellees had been arrested and all of which they claimed were being used to intimidate them in the exercise of their First Amendment rights. A three-judge District Court declared invalid for overbreadth and enjoined enforcement of a statutory provision (under which no appellee had been arrested or charged) that prohibited intimidating a person by threats to "[c]ommit any criminal offense."

Held: Since no appellee suffered, or was threatened with, great and immediate irreparable injury and the future application of the statute to any appellee was merely speculative, the District Court was not warranted in interfering with state law enforcement by the issuance of an injunction or declaratory judgment. Younger v. Harris, ante, p. 401 U. S. 37; Samuels v. Mackell, ante, p. 401 U. S. 66. Pp. 401 U. S. 80-81.

280 F.Supp. 938, reversed and remanded.

BLACK, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BURGER, C.J., and HARLAN, STEWART, and BLACKMUN, JJ., joined. BRENNAN, WHITE, and MARSHALL, JJ., concurred in the result. DOUGLAS, J., filed a dissenting opinion, ante, p. 401 U. S. 58.

Page 401 U. S. 78